PARIS, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Airbus lagged Boeing in jet
production and sales in the first 11 months of the year but left
itself a shot at meeting full-year delivery targets after
unblocking delayed engine supplies for its upgraded A320neo jet,
company data showed on Wednesday.

The European planemaker handed over 74 jets in November to
bring total deliveries in the first 11 months to 591 aircraft.

That included twice as many A320neo-family aircraft as in
the same month last year, as Airbus emerges from a two-year
bottleneck in the availability of engines for the new model from
U.S. supplier Pratt & Whitney.

November's tally means Airbus needs to roughly repeat a
monthly record of 111 deliveries seen in December last year to
meet its core target of more than 700 deliveries in 2017.

Airbus in October abandoned an informal goal of 720 jet
deliveries that was higher than its official target of 700, but
investors have welcomed indications that it is sticking to the
underlying goal after resolving supply chain problems.

Airbus shares rose 0.3 percent on Wednesday.

Airbus chief operating officer and planemaking president
Fabrice Bregier told French newspaper Les Echos this week that
Airbus would deliver more than 700 aircraft in 2017, marking a
new production record as engine delivery shortfalls ease.

For new business, Airbus reported 388 orders for the first
11 months, or a net total of 333 after cancellations.

It is seen unlikely to catch up rival Boeing in the 2017
order race but is on course to post more orders than deliveries
for the eighth year if it can finalise a record order for 430
jets announced at the Dubai Airshow last month.

Airbus started the year warning the ratio of net orders to
deliveries or book-to-bill ratio would fall below 1 in 2017 for
the first time since 2009. But it has seen higher-than-expected
demand for single-aisle jets, while finding itself outsold more
than three to one by Boeing in the contest for wide-body jets.

The two planemakers are now competing to sell 100
single-aisle jets to Delta Air Lines and industry
sources say some wide-body orders are still potentially up for
grabs.

Between Jan. 1 and Nov. 28, Boeing sold 787 aircraft, or 662
after cancellations.

Boeing's November delivery data is not yet available but it
is expected to keep its title as the world's largest jetmaker by
delivering more than Airbus for the sixth year running in 2017.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Mark Potter)